Biden braves the press corps photo line

Presented by Keep the Promise Coalition: The power players, latest policy developments, and intriguing whispers percolating inside the West Wing.

Dec 07, 2023 View in browser   By Lauren Egan, Myah Ward and Benjamin Johansen Presented by Welcome to POLITICO’s West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration. With help from producer Raymond Rapada. Send tips | Subscribe here | Email Eli | Email Lauren Over the past week, hundreds of journalists and their guests drifted through the White House for holiday receptions, snapping pictures of the thousands of ornaments and holiday lights adorned throughout the building. They took selfies under the floating holiday candy display in the East Colonnade and chatted with senior Biden officials over cups of eggnog and glasses of champagne. They relished being able to float freely about the State Dining Room and the Blue Room (areas normally off-limits), all while stacking their dinner plates high with lamb chops, lobster claws, peppermint bark and coconut cake. The holiday season is a busy time for the White House. By the end of this year, President JOE BIDEN and first lady JILL BIDEN will have hosted around 30 holiday receptions, with nearly every White House team — from the communications shop to the Office of Legislative Affairs and Public Engagement — putting in weeks of work to pull off the events. Before the White House opened its gates to the first guests, more than 300 volunteers spent a week putting up decorations. Chefs tinkered with the holiday menu. And staffers had the thankless job of sifting through a deluge of invitation requests, revising the guest list until they hit capacity. They assigned people to man the gates and check-in tables and made plans to keep the run of show going smoothly so the president could wrap up on time. The biggest challenge is always the photo line, an exhausting custom for the president and first family as well as the staff responsible for holding guests’ bags and the awkward task of delicately encouraging guests to not linger too long by the president. We can only guess how many times press secretary KARINE JEAN-PIERRE and principal deputy press secretary OLIVIA DALTON said “thank you!!” while motioning toward the door back to the reception. After some internal West Wing deliberation about whether to offer a photo line at the media parties, the president and first lady ended up taking individual photos with reporters and their guests (a more personal offering than last year’s group photos) to the pleasant surprise of many attendees. It was truly a well-oiled machine (aside from the part where the announcer somehow managed to mispronounce this author’s last name, but we digress). West Wing Playbook estimates the whole thing took about 30 seconds from the time we got in line to when we shook hands with the first lady, got in position next to the president (who gave us a big grin and asked, “How ya doin?”), smiled for the photographer and got ushered out of the room by Jean-Pierre. Staffers said Biden was so committed to the photo line that he insisted on running well past the scheduled end time. As White House personnel directed guests toward the exits Wednesday evening, the president and first lady stayed in the Diplomatic Reception Room until the last reporter got her photo. WSJ’s SABRINA SIDDIQUI, always running late, had this year’s honor. According to the White House, the president and first lady took more than 700 photos between the two press parties. Each photo line lasted more than three hours. That’s a lot of smiling. And standing. And shaking hands. Frankly, we’d be exhausted. Our feet would certainly hurt. So, Biden press corps, maybe give it a beat before you start pestering the White House for your photo? It will come eventually and you will ’gram it. The world will continue to turn. MESSAGE US — Are you YEMISI EGBEWOLE, chief of staff for the press office and adviser to the press secretary? We want to hear from you. And we’ll keep you anonymous! Email us at westwingtips@politico.com. Did someone forward this email to you? Subscribe here!    SUBSCRIBE TO CALIFORNIA CLIMATE: Climate change isn’t just about the weather. It's also about how we do business and create new policies, especially in California. So we have something cool for you: A brand-new California Climate newsletter. It's not just climate or science chat, it's your daily cheat sheet to understanding how the legislative landscape around climate change is shaking up industries across the Golden State. Subscribe now to California Climate to keep up with the changes.     POTUS PUZZLER Which president worked as a sportscaster in Des Moines long before his time in the White House? (Answer at bottom.) The Oval CALLS ON CALLS ON CALLS: Biden on Thursday spoke with Israeli Prime Minister BENJAMIN NETANYAHU and KING ABDULLAH of Jordan about the latest developments in Israel and Gaza, according to the White House. Asked if there was any significance about the calls, National Security Council spokesperson JOHN KIRBY called them “part of the regular outreach” to regional leaders by the president. WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE WANTS YOU TO READ: This new AP poll that shows Democratic support increasing for Biden’s handling of the protracted conflict between Israel and Palestine. Fifty-nine percent of Democrats approve of Biden’s approach to the conflict, up from 50 percent in November. “The shift occurred during a time in which Biden and top U.S. officials expressed increased concern about civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip, emphasized the need for a future independent Palestinian state and helped secure the release of hostages held by Hamas during a temporary truce,” AP’s CHRIS MEGERIAN and LINLEY SANDERS write. Deputy press secretary ANDREW BATES shared the piece on X. WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE DOESN’T WANT YOU TO READ: This piece by NBC’s ALEX SEITZ-WALD about how over 500 staffers from 140 Jewish organizations signed an open letter to Biden calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and the return of all hostages. “Many of us have devoted our life’s work to building thriving Jewish communities,” said the staffers, who reflect a more mainstream perspective and come from a wider range of American Jewish groups, Seitz-Wald writes. “We know there is no military solution to this crisis. We know that Israelis and Palestinians are here to stay — neither Jewish safety nor Palestinian liberation can be achieved if they are pitted against one another." A message from Keep the Promise Coalition: President Biden, keep your promise to Native Tribes! Secretary Haaland is considering a decision that would pit some of our country’s most marginalized communities against each other and irreparably deprive several Tribes of significant revenues. A bipartisan coalition of senators, representatives, and governors, along with local elected officials and Tribal leaders, strongly oppose this decision, which would harm Tribes and open the floodgates for an explosion of gaming across the country. Read More.   THE BUREAUCRATS CAMPAIGN MOVE: The Biden campaign on Thursday announced ED DUGGAN as its Michigan state director. He previously served as an adviser to Michigan Gov. GRETCHEN WHITMER, The Detroit News’ CRAIG MAUGER reports. Agenda Setting CRACKING DOWN ON PRESCRIPTION DRUG PRICES: On Thursday, the Biden administration announced new health care measures aimed at slashing drug costs and promoting competition, CNN’s TAMI LUHBY reports. The administration unveiled a proposed framework detailing the steps federal agencies should take when deciding to use “march-in rights,” a policy that allows the government to license drugs developed with taxpayer dollars to other parties if they’re inaccessible to the public. (Our ADAM CANCRYN previewed the move with his scoop yesterday.) “Fundamentally, we are establishing that price can now be a factor in determining when the federal government can march in to ensure that we have lower prices,” said domestic policy adviser NEERA TANDEN. BUILDING A WALL WITH MEXICO: Treasury Secretary JANET YELLEN on Thursday reached a new agreement with Mexico aimed at preventing countries such as China from investing in North American companies, Axios’ HANS NICHOLS reports. The goal of the agreement is to assist Mexico in screening foreign investors by sharing information with the Treasury-run Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States. AND SO IT BEGINS: House Republicans on Thursday released the text of the resolution that would authorize an impeachment inquiry into President Biden, NBC’s REBECCA KAPLAN and CHRISTINA ZHAO report. House leaders say that a vote on the resolution is expected next week.   A message from Keep the Promise Coalition:   What We're Reading Israeli tank fire killed Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah in Lebanon (Reuters’ Maya Gebeily, Anthony Deutsch and David Clarke) Should Biden Really Run Again? He Prolongs an Awkward Conversation (NYT’s Reid J. Epstein) ‘Rebuild the base’: How the Biden campaign will tackle a possible Trump rematch (NPR’s Tyler Bartlam, Justine Kenin, and Ari Shapiro) The Oppo Book Have you ever heard of laughter yoga? Does it sound annoying? After watching clips on YouTube, we can attest that it is. But to KEVIN BALLEN, adviser to the National Economic Council director, it was a way to stay positive during the Covid pandemic. Ballen is a certified laughter yoga instructor, and he led virtual classes while studying at Harvard. “People are feeling down and depressed looking at the news,” Ballen told the Harvard Gazette in a 2020 interview. “It’s a really difficult time in so many different respects, so hopefully laughter yoga can be just this spurt of joy, positivity, movement, and silliness at a time everything is serious.” We would hope that Ballen has given LAEL BRAINARD some tips. A message from Keep the Promise Coalition: President Biden, keep your promise to Native Tribes! The Interior Department is considering a decision that would undermine your historic support of Native communities and commitment to advancing equity—both for and among Tribes. Congress passed the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) to support Tribal communities through gaming revenues, while limiting the risks associated with gaming in communities across country. Now, one Tribe wants the Interior to help them circumvent the law and open more casinos, which would not only harm Tribes in Oregon, but open the floodgates for an explosion of gaming across the country. Read More.   POTUS PUZZLER ANSWER More commonly known for his acting career, RONALD REAGAN in the 1930s spent time as a sportscaster for WHO Radio in Des Moines, Iowa, where he would call Chicago Cubs games, according to the Ronald Reagan presidential library. A CALL OUT! Do you think you have a harder trivia question? Send us your best one about the presidents, with a citation or sourcing, and we may feature it! Edited by Eun Kyung Kim and Sam Stein.   GET A BACKSTAGE PASS TO COP28 WITH GLOBAL PLAYBOOK: Get insider access to the conference that sets the tone of the global climate agenda with POLITICO's Global Playbook newsletter. Authored by Suzanne Lynch, Global Playbook delivers exclusive, daily insights and comprehensive coverage that will keep you informed about the most crucial climate summit of the year. Dive deep into the critical discussions and developments at COP28 from Nov. 30 to Dec. 12. SUBSCRIBE NOW.       Follow us on Twitter Lauren Egan @Lauren_V_Egan Myah Ward @MyahWard Ben Johansen @BenJohansen3   Follow us

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